Front drive mechanism.



C. M. MAUES.

FRONT DRIVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.1, 1914.

'Y?. Patented Dec.14, 1915. A

2 SHEETS-SHEET x.

o. M. MATTES.

\ v FRONT DRIVE MEcHANlsn/l.

, A'PPLICATION FILED OCT. 1| 9]4. 191636?? Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- CHARLES M. MATTES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.rnoNT nnIvn MECHANISM.

Speccatioa of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed October 1, 1914. Serial No. 864,891.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. Mn'rrns,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of New York, county and State of'NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Front Drive Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

Myinvention relates to motor vehicles, tractors, and the like and has special reference to driving y mechanisms which are adapted'to be attached to vehicles in common use and coperate with the steering Vinvolving a minimum expenditure of labor and expense.

liti

My invention is, of course, not limited to. any particular style or type of vehicle and l intend that only such limitations be imposed as areindicated in the claims appended hereto.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forth hereinafter, and in' order that my invention may be fully understood, l will now proceed to describe the same in the following specification and then point out the,novel features thereof inappended claims. y 4

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 isa side elevation of a fifth wheel and driving motor structure arranged and construete in accordance with my invention, a vehicle frame and steering axle being shown in dotted lines. A front view of the same mechanism is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the upper section of the fifth wheel structure while a similar view of the lower section ofthe same structure is shown in Fig. 4'.

' Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the gures. j

l0 represents a body or frame ofthe vehicle such as a truck to which my invention is attached, the wheels being indicated at 11, and the axle at 12. Mounted on the axle 12 are a pair of semi-elliptical springs 13 which support the lower section of the fth wheel structure. The upper section of the same structure is secured to the under side of the vehicle frame 10, certain of the parts such as the steering wheel lll and control levers 15 extending through the'floor ofthe body so that they are accessible to the vehicle driver. The motor which is represented at 16 is also of such size that it extends above the floor of the body and consequently the body is preferably provided with a. casing or hood 17.

The fifth wheel mechanism with which my invention is particularly concerned, will now be described more in detail. f

The bottom section which is shown .in plan in Fig. 4, comprises a frame 20, an

v annular bearing plate 22, a' worm wheel segment 23, a transverse driving shaft 24, a differential 25, a horizontal shaft26 extending at right angles to the shaft 24 and connected thereto through the differential, a beveled gear 27 on the shaft 26, and sprocket pinions 28. shown as a comparatively short one, it may, ofcourse, be larger, in fact it may, if desired, be a complete circular gear. The pin- .lons 28 are located at the respective ends of the shaft 24 which is rotatably mounted in bearings 29, and are operatively connected tothe wheels 11 by chains' l30 which cooperate with the pinions 28 and with pilpcket wheels 31 mounted on the wheel The upper section which is shown in plan in Fig. 3- comprises a frame 32, an annular plate 33 mounted thereon, a transmission Although the segment 23 is shaft 34 and a transmissionindicated by,`

casing 35, an engine shaft 36 which is operatively connected to the transmission shaft byl a sprocket chain 37, and a vertical king pin 38. The king pin is mounted in a bearing 39 (see Fig. 1) and extends through a bearing 40 ofthe lower fifth wheel section. Rotatably mounted upon-it between the bearings is adouble facedl bevel gear 41 the toothed faces of which coperate 4respectively with ya beveled gear 42 on the transmission shaft 34 and the beveled gear 27 on the differential 26, the arrangement of parts being such that the tw'o sections of the fifth wheel structure may rotate about the axis'o'f the king pin as a center without interrupting or interfering with the operative connection which is established, through the beveled gears 27 and 42 and the double faced gear 41, between the transmission shaft and the differential shaft. Since the diiierential `shaft is operatively connected to the engine, the connection is obviously completed from the engine to the shaft 24 and from thence through the chains 30 to the wheels 11. The upper section of the ii'ith wheel structure is alsov provided with a steering'sha'ft 44 which is provided with a worm 45 and is connected by beveled gears 46" with the post 47 4of the steering wheel' 14.` The control levers 15 are connected to the transmission by links 48 and levers 49 in a well known manner.

All of the parts which have been described as a part of the upper section of the fifth wheel structure are secured to and supported bythe frame 32 while all of the parts which are described as making up the lower section of the fifth wheel structure are secured to and supported bythe frame 20. It is therefore evident that it is only necessary to suiiciently cut away a portion of the body of a vehicle to permit the steering wheel, control lever, and engine, to extend through the llicor in order to attach the upper section of the structure toan ordinary truck body. The lower section has only to loe-mounted on the vehicle springs and the wheels equipped with sprockets 31.

I am aware that iront wheel driveshave hitherto been devised, but I believe I am the first to suggest the use of. a ith wheel structure composed o'F a pair of relatively' simple and compact unitary sections which may be directly attached to avehicle by making a few simple changes involving a 'very slight expenditure of time and expense.

What I claim is:

1. A front driving attachment for vehicles composed of 'a unitary upper fifth wheel section, comprising a frame adapted to be attached to the vehicle body, a driving ineen?? motor, anda transmission mechanism both secured to the frame, a king pin mounted on the iframe and a gear on the king pin voperatively connected to the motor, a steering post mounted on the frame, a steering wheel and a steering gear operatively connected thereto; and a unitary` lower fth wheel section comprising a 'frame adapted to be secured to the steering truck of the vehicle, a differential shaft mounted on the frame, a driving shaft on the frame adapted to be operativelyl connected to thev vehicle wheels,- a 'steering segment secured to the frame adapted to cooperate with the steer- 4ing gear, and means 'for establishing an operative connection between the dierential shaft and the king pin gear when the fifth wheel sectionsare superposed. l

2. A front driving attachment for ,vehicles comprising an upper fifth wheel sec tion adaptedto bev attached as a unit to the vehicle body and comprisin a driving motor, a king pin, a doubleaced beveledgear loperatively* connected to the vmotor and coaxial with the ln'ng pin, a steering post, a lsteering wheel and a steering gear connected thereto; a lower fifth wheel section adapted to be attached as a unit to the steering truck of the vehicle and comprising a transverse driving shaft adapted to be operatively connected to thevehicle wheels, a longitudinal shaft having a bevel gear to cooperate with the king pin gear and oper atively connected to the transverse driving Y shaft, and a'steering segment adapted to co-v operate with the steering gear when the fifth wheel sections are superposed. l

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of September, 1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES M. MAT'IES.

'Witnesses R. J.' DEARBORN, F. GRAVES. 

